Standing Tall
by Nugtrio
Summary: Tidus just started his blitzball career in a futuristic Zanarkand. Though overshadowed by the star power that makes his Abes team, he will soon become a legendary blitzballer just like his father. Yet he also meets the mysterious Yuna, whose bee's nest of secrets peaks his curiosity to no end.
1. Chapter 1

**1. The Morning After**

"HEADS UP!"

Tidus looked up just in time to move his head out of the path of the bullet of a blitz shot. He thanked his maker silently for this quick reflexes are he picked the ball out of the netting and threw the thing back to his coach. "Try not to kill me next time you meat head!" He protested to his teammate Lars who shot the ball but garnering nothing more than a snicker back in response.

Lars was the star player of the Abes, a ten year veteran in the pro scene with multiple league championships under his name. Tidus was just a rookie – a talented one, but talent doesn't trump inexperience when it comes to the Abes – and the more established players were putting him through the typical rookie paces. In today's case, it was retreating balls from the net during some after-practice trick shooting contest

Cursing under breath because of the fact that blitz balls fly much faster in air than in water, Tidus hurriedly ducked away before the next guy in line tried to take his head off.

"Eight-point-five" Coach Lee called out.

The man looked nothing like a pro coach. His glasses were thicker than most of the phones tech-savvy twenty-something's have these days, he wears pressed collared shirts almost all the time – complete with pens and pocket protectors, and his belly gave away the hints of a developing hearty gut. Unlike his star Lars, who was head and shoulders above Coach Lee, was handsome enough to be voted as Spira's number one bachelor, and had toned muscles that was lean enough to fuel his agility yet not bulky enough to hinder it.

Next up in line was Lars's almost-as-famous sidekick and Tidus's older brother, Shuyin. Drafted two years after Lars was, Shuyin had arguably contributed just as much to the Abe's six Crystal Cups in the past eight years as Lars. As the latter's numbers plateaued atop the blitz world in the last few seasons, Shuyin's stats were on the rise. It was obvious he would inevitably become the more impactful half of the Abe's frontal attack soon as Lars ages past his prime and into his thirties.

"Alright whenever you are ready." Coach Lee said nonchalantly while handing over the ball.

"Watch and learn Teddy." Shuyin teased as he tossed the ball up into the air…

By the time Lars and Shuyin finally called it a draw between the two of them and let Tidus leave the gym he was already dead tired. Dragging himself and his duffle bag out onto the parking lot and into his car parked at the rookie parking spot, Tidus unceremoniously tossed himself on the driver seat. Winter has fully set in, and just walking from the door to his car had practically frozen his hands. He cupped them to his mouth and breathed out some warm air before retrieving his phone from the glove compartment and opening his missed calls and messages.

Just one from his best friend on the team, and probably his best friend period, third-year player Wakka.

_Come to my place after they finish torturing you…if you are up to it. You probably need some fun._

"Cryptic", Tidus mused to himself, but at the moment all he wanted to do was to lie down on his bed. So he pocketed his phone and started the engine. The radio turned on along with the car.

"…and what is it you do here in Zanarkand, Yuna?" The evening music show's music voice came from speakers.

"Well I am a nightclub singer at the Tower for four nights a week. Outside of that I go to school at the University." A soothing female voice answered back.

"And this album we are going to play now, you composed it in your spare time, yes?"

"Yes, I don't have the chance to sing my own songs working at the hotel, so I recorded these on the side when I had spare time."

Tidus wasn't a fan of indie or alternative music, so he switched stations to some rock music for the rest of the way home – and collapsed on his bed the moment he got there. Lying there on his back, the stillness slowly lulled him to sleep. This was the life of a young, eligible bachelor with a budding sports career. It was nowhere near as glorious as he had always hoped for when he was younger, but he was doing what he loved. Plus the silver lining was the fact he had the day off the day after, he could sleep in for as long as he wants.

But boy was he in for a surprise when he woke up the next morning. Judging from the amount of light filtering in through the windows, Tidus guessed that it was already early afternoon by the time he finally opened his eyes. He wasn't too shocked that his body decided to use almost two nights worth of sleep to recuperate after a grueling week of practically non-stop blitz. He let out a hearty yawn as he sat up and moved around whatever joints he could to shake off the inevitable stiffness from such a long sleep.

Then he realized he wasn't alone on his bed.

Off to the far side of his overly exaggerated king size bed there was another body – a girl by the profile. She had her back facing him and the window, her hair was a light brunette and cut short, exposing her top shoulder. Her legs were tucked inside the covers she apparently shared with an unknowing Tidus but he could tell she wasn't an especially tall girl – definitely shorter than his ex.

He couldn't think of any other girl who had any business being there.

"Hey," Tidus whispered, "hey wake up." His effort was wasted as the brunette did nothing except burying herself deeper into his pillow.

Tidus had thought of the day when he would have to kick a random girl out of his bed and out the door, but all of the scenarios involved alcohol and a one-night stand. He was sure he didn't have any liquor last night and he definitely didn't have sex either.

Swallowing back his apprehension, Tidus extended his hand onto her bare shoulder. Her skin felt creamy and smooth, so smooth in fact that he had to resist the urge to run his hand further along just to feel more of it. Instead he gave her a slight shake.

That got him the desired effect. Well, maybe even more than he had expected as she shot up as quick as lightning with a burst of an ear-piercing scream and sent a flying arm blindly his way, barely missing his head. Her breathes were shallow and quick but slowed as she recollected herself. Her eyes squinted in an effort shield away some of the light. When Tidus made eye contact with the strange girl on his bed he immediately noticed that the big bright pupils had two different colours to them. One of them was a clear sky blue, the other a shining emerald green. Her visage was just as perfect as her bare shoulder would suggest, but it was still those eyes – full of light and depth that made Tidus partially regret she wasn't a one-night stand.

In contrast to Tidus's swift infatuation, the brunette girl became rather defensive and closed off. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she kept her eyes fiercely pointed at him and it was obvious her mind was working through the circumstances of her surroundings. Under her breath she whispered something about killing someone for this.

So Tidus decided to raise his hands, palms open to put her at ease, even though this was _his _apartment and _his_ bed.

It seemed to work though, because she visibly eased up, if not just a little. So Tidus took the chance to introduce himself. Still looking somewhat silly with his hands up, he put on a smile and said "Umm, hi…I'm Tidus and, umm, welcome to my house…"

Hearing his voice softened her expression. She even leaned forward slightly and dropped her bent legs under herself. "My name is Yuna." Her voice was even and firm but afterwards the corners of her mouth tugged into a small smile too. "This is kind of weird huh?" She chuckled slightly while pointing out the evident elephant in the room.

"No kidding…" Tidus just began to notice the rest of Yuna's body. She had on a red-pink tank top that bared some of her defined midriff. One of the straps on her shoulders, the one she had slept on, had fallen off the side. Other than the top, the only article of clothing she was wearing was a pair of black panties that weren't the laciest pair Tidus has seen yet nonetheless still suggestive.

And then there were her legs. God were they ever smooth and toned. God were they lean and the skin silky. God did they seem to run forever.

"I'm sorry for showing up like this," Yuna said in absence of anything from Tidus. "I was spending some time with Wakka last night and we got pretty, umm," she paused in the middle of her explanation in embarrassment, "well, drunk. So instead of driving home Wakka decided to bring us over here to crash for the night."

"You know Wakka?" Tidus was unaware that his best friend had other friends he spent nights with getting hammered at local bars. But before Yuna could answer something in Tidus's memory clicked, "Wait you were on the radio last night!"

The smile that was tugging at the corners of Yuna's mouth widened in response and her cheeks reddened a little. "Yeah! That was really nerve-wracking though, I was terrified nobody would like my music they had played last night. But Wakka came by my place last night and told me people loved it. Then he took me out for some celebratory drinks at this bar he says he goes to a lot. We used to live close by back in Besaid…" Her smile faded a little at the last word and to the chagrin of Tidus she broke her heterochromatic eyes away from his. There was a palpable hint of sadness there. "Mmm…he's my only friend here in Zanarkand since I just moved here, so I guess it's always nice to meet more people."

The subtle change of topic worked on Tidus, who was not about to turn down the chance to get to know this hot babe.

"Well where is the big oaf then?" He asked, secretly hoping his friend would not be here.

"He left after dropping me off here. I vaguely remember him saying something about you being a nice enough guy." Yuna responded, giggling a little at the last bit. "I didn't know where else to go, and the bed was really big. I would have stayed over at Wakka's but his girlfriend doesn't like having me around very much"

"Hey I'm not complaining!" Tidus exclaimed with a hearty chortle, "Why don't I take you out and grab some food and show you around the city? I have the day…"

"No," Yuna cut him off definitively, much to Tidus's surprise. He was sure his charm was going to win him a date with Yuna at least. "Look, can I use your shower? I'm just going to clean up a little and leave you alone." She asked coldly. Tidus gave a small nod, puzzled as to why Yuna turned him down so abruptly after it seemed like she was opening up a little. "Sorry for the trouble I've caused." She said as she made her way to the bathroom. When she closed the door after herself she left an after image of her backside burnt into Tidus's brain.

That after image made him more determined to get to know more about this growing mystery of a girl. So he fumbled around for his cellphone and called Wakka.

A couple of rings later Wakka picked up on his end.

"Hey buddy! Sorry about the surprise I left you this morning." He said apologetically, "say…Yuna, err the girl, she didn't seem to angry with me when she woke up this morning, did she?"

"She was a bit standoffish, but that's not the point here." Tidus decided to jump straight to the point, "Is there something about Yuna I should know? I thought she was warming up to me but as soon as I tried to make a move she turned ice cold."

Tidus expected some helpful advice from his usually reliable wingman. Wakka was always a good sport when it came to girls Tidus was interested in. But the older blitzer answered his inquiry with a tone almost as cold as Yuna's.

"Hey I know she's cute, yeah? But don't get any ideas, it's not going to end well."

Wakka's not-so-subtle warning somewhat annoyed Tidus, _what do you mean it's not going to end well_, he wanted to ask back, but the sound of the water turning off in the bathroom told him that he was in danger of Yuna overhearing his conversation.

"Whatever man, talk to you later." He said tersely into the phone before hanging up. Not two seconds later Yuna opened the door separating the bathroom from the bedroom. The rush of steam didn't do much to hide fact that she was wearing nothing except a towel wrapped around her from the chest down to her shins.

Brushing a wet and clumped up strand of hair away from her vision she gave Tidus an all-too-knowing look. It brought about some concern that despite the sound of water splashing onto porcelain she might heard some of the phone conversation.

Although if she did, Yuna chose to not discuss it. Instead she took a quick couple of steps and retrieved a pair of jeans from the floor beside the bed. After a brief second of Tidus's staring and her fumbling through the pockets of her jeans despite Tidus's staring she dug out an almost antiquated cell phone, only to let out a frustrating grunt when she tried to turn the obsolete piece of tech on.

"Hey I think your, err, phone is out of batteries." He was sure that playful jab was going to earn him something akin to a death stare but to be honest he just wanted a chance to look at those chimeric eyes again.

All it seemed to do however, was push her beyond some kind of emotional barrier, for Yuna resignedly looked up and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. She also clenched her fist around her depleted phone as hard as she could to keep herself from throwing the paperweight at the nearest wall in an attempt to let out some hidden frustration Tidus couldn't seem to fathom the source of.

"You are welcome to use my phone if there's someone you need to call." Tidus tentatively suggested. He secretly hoped that she wouldn't call anyone, at least not a boyfriend or something. "Wakka maybe?"

"No, don't call Wakka. His girlfriend won't like the fact we went out drinking last night, so having him driving me home again…well I just don't want to trouble him more than I already have." She answered to Tidus's relief as she briskly paced out of the bedroom and into the outer den. Tidus got up and rounded to corner to see her standing by the large bay windows looking through the glass.

After scanning the horizon for a moment and probably not finding what she was searching for Yuna asked, "Is your place far away from the Tower?"

"You mean that hotel? We are about a good twenty minute drive from it. It's on the other side of all those skyscrapers and the giant blitz stadium." Tidus made a point to emphasize the word giant. He was particularly proud of the spectacle that was his Abes' stomping grounds

"Okay then I'm going to change and then I'm leaving."

And with that she paced back to the bedroom. "Don't come in" she warned.

"Hey wait," he called after her, "I can't just let you walk back all by yourself. It could take an hour and it's freezing outside!"

"I have a sweater." Yuna said unceremoniously through the door. She probably knew a sweater would not be nearly enough for biting cold outside, yet she was still doing her best to dissuade Tidus from driving her anywhere.

"Hey c'mon would you stop being so stubborn. You are Wakka's friend, I never let friends of friends walk for an hour in the winter, especially someone who came from Besaid and don't have any winter clothes."

The door opened again and out came Yuna wearing her jeans and a _light_ wool sweater that hugged her torso. The best that thing could do was cover up her midriff, it was meant more for making her look attractive than for winter temperatures.

"Fine I will call a cab. Give me your phone."

"Did I mention that I don't let friends of friends waste money on a cab through downtown traffic?" Tidus countered all-too-flirtingly, which he tried to correct when Yuna gave him an incredulous look. "Trust me, the cab drivers here can be pretty sleazy."

It was a fairly weak justification, but Yuna either believed it or just gave up.

"Fine…let's go then."


	2. Chapter 2

**2. The Roller Coaster Ride**

If Tidus thought the confinement of his two-seater and the predictable traffic that plagues the downtown core would get Yuna in a warmer, more talkative mood, he was as wrong as she was quiet. So quiet in fact, that Tidus started to regret offering this strange girl a ride home. This was fast becoming a maddening waste of time – time he could have spent resting up for the next match. It has never taken him _this_ long to get a girl interested before.

Then again he was sure she was somehow burning a hole on the side of his skull with her peripheral vision. From the moment they left the parking garage of his apartment building he felt this tingling sensation that comes from having a pair eyes glued to him. It was as if she was looking at him without actually facing him. The uneasiness was palpable and Yuna's eeriness made him silently beg for something to happen. _Seriously, how is she doing that?_ She was fast becoming more trouble than she was worth.

"Would you stop staring at me?" he complained.

"Says the guy who has been undressing me with his eyes ever since we woke up together on the same bed." Yuna countered coldly.

"You can't possibly say it like that and still blame a guy for getting ideas." Tidus snapped back, "Have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror?"

They came upon a red light and Tidus slowed his expensive sports car to a halt while taking the chance to get a hold of his bearings. They are right in the heart of Zanarkand's bustling core where there were plenty of giant floating billboards, holographic advertisements, and shops that sold everything from boutique clothes to the latest tech modules.

He also kept an eye out for the cute girls that always paused for a moment whenever they see his car pulling up to a stop. Sure, they are mistaking him for his brother since the two of them drive the exact model, right down to the tinted windows, but still – it was better than the uneasiness and the frigidness he was receiving from his passenger.

"Maybe if you didn't treat me like your daily diet of eye candy I would actually take that as a compliment." Yuna retorted, seemingly crossed with Tidus for being so insufferable. Yet as she tilted her head forward and tucked her bangs behind her ear he caught the slightest smirk gracing her lips.

"Hey! You're just messing with me!" Tidus exclaimed as he accelerated past the green light.

"Guilty as charged" Yuna said quietly but he was sure her voice sounded considerably warmer than before. "Umm, sorry I was so 'standoffish', it's just that…" she continued with a slight emphasis on the word standoffish – the same word Tidus used to describe her when he had though she was in the shower back in his apartment.

Brushing away the curious conundrum of her super-hearing, Tidus decided to try to coax more out of her. "'It's just that' what?" he asked, urging her to keep going.

Yuna opened her mouth as if she was about to carry on with her explanation, but then she just drew her knees up to her chest and turned to face Tidus with an apologetic smile. Her eyes were now _really_ burning a hole on the side of his head. When Tidus briefly took his eyes off the road to look into them he saw a defiant strength tempered by what is probably several lifetimes' worth of sadness.

It was a while before Yuna finally broke their eye contact and turned to glue her eyes on the tips of her toes. She sank her chin into her knees, making it quite clear that she no longer wished to talk. At least not finish what she was about to say just a second ago. The new silence also once again brought about the uneasiness that saturated the atmosphere inside the car. Tidus only hoped that Yuna wouldn't be as hostile this time around, maybe that way he would be able to hold a decent conversation with her. He just had to avoid the more personal stuff for the moment.

"Umm…hey, the Tower, it's a pretty nice hotel, yeah? Are you just living there before you find a place?" Tidus asked after debating whether the question was too intrusive or not.

Yuna shook her head a little, chin still anchored between her knees. "No, I work there, so they were willing to let me live in one of the suites for a portion of my pay." Her voice was even, and she suddenly sounded very exhausted.

"Right, I remember now! You sing at the nightclub in the hotel right? AND you get a suite! That's a pretty sweet deal."

Truth be told he had recalled her singing at the night club for a while. Yuna acknowledged his little white lie for the sake of conversation with a sweep of her eyes and a tight grin – letting it be known that she found it sweet that he would go through so much trouble to carry a conversation with her. They weren't far away from her home now, so she might have thought it would be nice to say goodbye on an amiable note instead of going back to her quiet shell.

"They _do_ take a big cut out of my pay, but it's still a nice discount. The scenery isn't the best so maybe that's why the manager agreed to it." She replied, almost convincingly engaged, though Tidus could tell her mind was actually focused elsewhere and she really just wanted some peace and quiet to sort out all the stuff in her head.

The car pulled up to another stop. The hotel was just a couple of blocks away now and its impressive height was now in sight. The Tower, aptly named, was once the tallest building in Zanarkand a couple of decades ago. It has a viewing level at the very top where once upon a time visitors could enjoy a three-hundred and sixty degree view of the city that never sleeps. Nowadays more and more high-rises had put the once majestic Tower to shame, but the management had since rebranded itself with numerous renovations that placed it head and shoulders above the rest of the hotels around in terms of luxury.

"Still, you must be a very good singer if you could land a job in that place. Especially the night club, I hear only corporate big-shots and big name politicians rub shoulders there."

Hearing his compliment Yuna chuckled a little. Had her bangs not unhooked themselves from behind her ear and fell across her cheeks like a curtain Tidus would have seen the redness flush to her face. But with her body hunched over a little to hug her knees all he could see were those brilliant gemstone eyes peeking through at an angle the thin gaps of straight brunette hair.

And damn did he think she was the cutest girl he had ever seen.

"I thought you heard me on the radio yesterday, didn't you think I was good?" She asked with an almost accusing tone.

"Oh right…hehe" Tidus laughed nervously as the car lurched forward again as the light turned green once more.

"You turned off the radio didn't you?" Yuna asked, mildly insulted, "that's too bad, I only sleep with guys who like my music", she added half-heartedly.

Tidus was convinced that she was only doing her part in this little chat with little to no emotional investment. Even so, her comment caught him so off-guard that he had to slam the brakes, pull the car to a stop at the curb, and do a double take, just to make sure she was really serious.

"You are one giant tease, you know that?" he said as he settled back into his seat. _Maybe I should just drop her off and never see her again or else she'll make scrambled eggs out of my poor brain_, he thought to himself as he exhaled the lungful of air he gulped down just a second ago.

He was about to merge onto traffic again when Yuna's hand shot out and grabbed one of his wrists.

"Wait…" she almost pleaded.

Tidus blinked, not knowing what to make of whatever was going on.

"Please" she added, sinking her chin beneath her kneecaps and wrapping her arms around her legs– apparently it was her thinking pose. It would be another minute before her head came back up, this time looking like she had come to some sort of a decision.

"I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I never had a lot of friends. Now that I live in Zanarkand it's even worse…" she trailed off after the last word. Tilting her head up at the ceiling of the car, she tried to come up with right next few words. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think you are nice guy – even when all you think about sometimes is getting in my pants."

Now it was Tidus's turn to be embarrassed. He didn't think the fact he was absolutely smitten with this girl was so obvious. Then again maybe it wasn't obvious at all, maybe she was just a really sharp.

Which made her even more attractive somehow.

"And Wakka seems to be quite fond of you, plus…" Yuna exhaled a breathy sigh. This must be really hard for her somehow, seeing as she keeps stopping mid-sentence just to stop herself from saying something she doesn't want to give away. "Tell you what, I was never a really big fan of blitz ball and you are not a big fan of my singing, so why don't we make a deal. I will come to your next home game if you come to my evening show tomorrow night."

"That's supposed to make us friends?" Tidus asked skeptically.

"It's what friends do right? They keep an open mind about what each other's interests."

"Maybe…but I still think it's weird."

"So no deal then?" Yuna probed with a hint of hurt feelings in her voice.

"No, I mean yes. We have a deal, I just find it a little awkward that's all." Tidus quickly corrected himself, earning him a little giggle from Yuna. "I understand how you must feel," he continued "Zanarkand is a big city and a lot of the time people just ignore you. It can get pretty lonely at times."

"So can we stop being friends of friends and just be friends now?" Yuna mused, "Now how about you drive me home?" She sounded livelier now, with much of the apprehension she had before apparently resolved away.

"Friends huh? It's a start." Tidus blurted out. He was tired of being subtle now anyways, something about Yuna made him believe that she would be too intelligent for his flavour of subtlety anyways. He cupped his hand around his mouth "ksk…T-minus five minutes till our destination, over."

Cheesy, but pretending to be an astronaut does have its charm, and it clearly worked with another fit of giggles from Yuna.

One last right turn, and they were soon upon the Tower's grand entrance way. The circular driveway surrounded an impressive three-tiered fountain and a garden of exotic flowers. After a full round-about the car came up a row of huge revolving doors, complete with a tall overhead roof decorated with the obligator floating chandeliers and supported by four remarkable pillars.

"Impressive front yard." Tidus complimented, "ksk…Tidus to ground control, the Eagle has landed, over."

"Don't you think you are a little old to play astronaut?" Yuna questioned his immaturity, to which he responded with a shrug. "Whatever Buzz Light-year, just remember to come to my show tomorrow night like you promised."

With that Yuna opened the passenger door and took her first step out of the car. The chilly outside air blew in through the opening, sending Tidus's blood retreating from his arms and legs almost immediately. Winter north of the great mountain ranges sure packed a wicked punch.

"As long as you don't forget to come to my game. We are on the road for the next two, but Bevelle is here in a week and you can watch me kick their asses." Tidus reminded her. Having Yuna come to the game was just added motivation for him to put on a good show against the Abe's heated rivals.

But all of Tidus's bravado soon disappeared when Yuna turned back and blinked those large eyes of hers. She moved a delicate hand to the far side of his face and planted a kiss onto his cheek.

"You bet." She said with a great big smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**3. Club Night**

Practice the day after was a boring affair, Coach Lee was satisfied with only running mundane drills and steady-paced swimming sessions, just to shake off some of the rust in preparation for a road game across town at the home of the lesser of the two Zanarkand team, the Duggles. If it had been up to the players, however, they wouldn't even have taken the day to get ready. That was giving a team that could barely fill a stadium half the size of the Abes' far too much respect. While the Abes built their brand on star players, their downtown coliseum, and a tradition of championships, the Duggles relied on cheap tickets, suburban locale, and very occasional appearances in the upper echelons of the Blitz League amidst general mediocrity.

Still, Tidus was grateful for Coach Lee not demanding overly cerebral plays or stamina building swim meets. It freed up his mind to think over his arrangement with Yuna. Actually it wasn't as much thinking as it was mulling. He mulled over every single little detail, like if he should tell Wakka about tonight and ask him about what her likes and dislikes, should he wear the professional shirt and tie or appear rebellious and lively with casual clothes, would she like it more if he stood out or if he fit in with the rich and powerful, and the burning question of was this a date or a simple gesture of friendship. He pondered away as he went through the motions of the light workout for three hours before Coach Lee blew his whistle when the clock hit four in the afternoon. The Abes filed out of the sphere pool one by one, each grabbing their bottle of protein shakes on the way to the locker room. It was then Tidus had resolved to ask Wakka on the subject of Yuna.

Being one of the first ones to exit the water, he fell back and waited for the heavier man to step onto the dry platform. Wakka always wore a giant grin on his face when he was in a good mood, and today was no exception, which was encouraging to Tidus, considering Wakka's initial warning the day before about advancing on his enigmatic friend.

"Hey big guy, mind if we stay back a bit after Coach finishes in the locker room? I something to talk to you about." Tidus timidly asked, testing the waters somewhat, hoping his friend's jovial expression wouldn't change.

"Sure thing! I can't wait to whop the Duggles' asses tomorrow, bring your a-game, yeah?" Wakka agreed with a slap on Tidus's back. He looked like he suspected nothing.

The two were the last of the players to enter the locker room. The rest of team have already dried off, they sat in a semi-circle around the center of the room where Coach Lee stood with his clipboard and pen. He had his back to the door, which meant when Tidus entered he saw what he had jotted down: point form notes on who to pay particular attention on the other team tomorrow night, formations to employ to exploit their weaknesses, and surprisingly some rotation changes. Surprising because of how early it was into their season and how well the Abes had been dismantling the competition with the established roster.

"Oh good you are here finally. Thank you for keeping us waiting." The coach turned to Tidus and muttered dryly. "Please take a sit so we can get started, I'm sure you are eagerly waiting for this strategy meeting as the rest of your teammates."

Tidus smirked at his coach's sardonic sense of humour once he had walked past him. The sarcasm, as he had come to appreciate, was Coach Lee's way of lightening up the atmosphere during the grueling and monotonous season of Blitz.

"Now let's get started. I won't start off with the boring stuff, Tidus," He spoke up while fiddling through the sheets on his clipboard. Tidus had barely just sat down when he was called to attention. "You have impressed me and coaching staff so far. Your work ethic has been nothing short of outstanding, your talent is obviously abundant, and your execution in the sphere pool has made earned you the shot as a starter. Tomorrow you are playing starting winger alongside your brother and Lars."

Pleasantly surprised, Tidus almost leaped into the air when he realized what this meant. He was going to be the youngest starter in the Abes' storied history. The applause and cheers amongst the rest of the players soon came as everyone congratulated the budding star. Even Owen, the player who Tidus was replacing as a starter, was all smiles and pleasantries, he was a player whose body had seen better days and valued not for his play in the pool as much as his leadership in the locker room.

"Thanks Coach!" Tidus yelled atop the cacophony of praise from his peers, "I won't disappoint, I promise!"

"Alright, alright! Yes, Tidus is a great young talent, yadi-yadah, settle down so we can get this over with and go home." Coach Lee shouted on the top of his lungs. Thus begun the most elated film and strategy session Tidus had ever been to in his short career so far.

When it was all over he was still very much in raptures. So much so that Wakka had to physically knock some sense into him with a forceful shove when Tidus started to walk towards his car after the team was dismissed.

"Hey buddy, I thought there was something you had to talk to me about." Wakka asked with a light smack across the back of Tidus's head.

"Huh? Oh yeah!" Tidus voiced out his coming back to solid ground, "Listen, that girl you left at my place yesterday morning, Yuna, she's not seeing anyone right? Because she invited me to her club tonight…"

Tidus's question drifted off when he saw the bigger man's dopey smile fade into a frown at the mention of Yuna's name. "Oh no, no you are not getting with her. If you are planning to ask me about how to get in her pants then forget it!" Wakka cut him off abruptly. Tidus was less than pleased with his interfering tone, and even less so with his stubbornness when it came to sharing anything personal about Yuna.

"Hey she was the one who came on to me. What was I going to do? Say no?" Tidus spat back, irritated at the defense man. "I think she is a nice girl and I just want to know her better. Is that so bad? Besides, you were the one who left her in my bed."

"Look that was a mistake, I was too drunk to think clearly. This has nothing to do with you yeah? It's Yuna, she's got problems…a history." Wakka drifted off in his explanation, curiously stopping himself before disclosing what kind of a history he was referring to.

"I can tell she has a history you big meat sack, that's why I want to get to know her better, and you are going to have to deal with that." Tidus told his friend with definite finality, "either you tell me what she's got hidden away or I will go on with my life and not worry about whatever her secrets are."

With that Tidus stormed away towards his "assigned" parking spot. Behind him he doesn't hear Wakka's heavy footsteps – his friend wasn't coming to chase after him as he had half-expected. That means he wasn't going to share any information about Tidus's date tonight despite the ultimatum.

Maybe he was getting way ahead of himself. Maybe he should keep in mind that tonight wasn't a real date per se – it was a chance for him to work through the obvious reservations Yuna holds so tightly. He had his own reservations too, there had to be a reason behind Wakka's disapproval and it had something to do with whatever Yuna was keeping her lips tight about.

Dismissing his overthinking quickly when he entered the cabin of his car, Tidus stretched over to his glove compartment and pulled out his cell phone. A message from a number apparent labelled "ice queen" popped up on the screen. It read simply "lobby, six o'clock".

Tidus couldn't for the life of him recall the point where she had gotten a hold of his phone and snuck her own contact information in. Smiling at her cheekiness while scratching his head a little he put his keys in the ignition and started on his way back to his condo. The time on his heads-up dashboard display said it was a little bit before five – giving him just enough time to change into something for the setting and maybe grab something to eat on the way.

He pulled up, after five minutes of driving, by the curb near his favourite takeout place and entered a run-down converted bungalow. There was a crude plywood sign crookedly mounted above the door that said "Mindy's". At first glance no one would think that a rising blitz star would frequent a place like this, with its faded brick work, patched walls, and grimy exterior. It was even situated at what people in Zanarkand considered to be the boundary of the city itself and the slums of the old town, but Tidus didn't really mind coming down here once in a while. He knew the people who ran this place – a nice, down-to-earth senior couple from the calm lands, and they have come to know him. All of the ingredients they used were harvested from their prairie farmlands, including the livestock, which was taken care off by family relatives. The wife, Matilda, is a great cook who made each dish with so much care and effort it was as if she was preparing it for her own family. For a young man who had lost his parents a long time ago, a home styled meal really did hit the spot.

The namesake of the restaurant, Mindy – who was the old couple's six year old granddaughter, was bouncing up and down the alleyway between the diner and the kitchen when Tidus entered. Her grandmother was working in the kitchen, dicing some vegetables from the looks of things. She raised her head at the sound of the bell attached to the door and smiled her grandmotherly smile when she recognized the blitz star's familiar face.

"Oh come in, I was wondering if our most famous customer had outgrown this shanty little restaurant, you haven't visited for quite a while."

Tidus couldn't control himself and let out a nervous chuckle. It was true, what she said. "Don't be like that, I was only cooking for myself for a week."

It was then that the husband popped into the diner. He was burly man, and lively despite his age and full head of white hair. He eyes lit up at the sight of his favourite customer and his bearded lips cracked into a giant grin. Covered in grease from head to toe, he came in with a giant bear hug around Tidus, who justifiably tried to squirm away.

"Hey Marshall, c'mon." Tidus struggled, still wiggling around before finally giving up with a sigh. "I'm sorry, I'll come and visit you two and Mindy more often, I swear."

"That's more like it." Marshall responded, pleased with Tidus's answer. Still, he patted Tidus forcefully on the back for good measure, which made the younger man nervous laugh again.

"I'm sorry but I can't stay for long, I'll take the usual to go please."

"Nonsense!" Marshall cried out loudly, seemingly indifferent about the fact he was still standing right beside the person he was talking to. "You've been away for a week, you are eating here tonight and I won't take no for an answer."

His wife also nodded in agreement, though she said nothing – she didn't really have to add to the enthusiasm anyways.

Tidus was instantly dumbfounded. He couldn't possibly stay there to eat dinner and still have time to change and meet Yuna, but saying no to someone as grandmotherly as Matilda and as intimidating as Marshall was damn near impossible. There was also Mindy, who adored him like a big brother and staring at him right this moment begging him to stay with those puppy dog eyes.

Swallowing a gulp of nothing but hoping it would give him the courage to say no, Tidus quietly coughed out the words "this…this is about a girl".

The shock on the older couple's faces was evident, but faded away soon after. "Fine" the said in tandem. They even smiled knowingly to each other, the undertones behind which escaped Tidus completely.

It would be another ten minutes before they sent Tidus on his merry way with a napkin that one of them had written "good luck!" on the front placed inside the takeout bag. It was gestures like this one that made Tidus fell in love with this tiny unimpressive establishment. Handing back the gil he owes for the food and then some as an apology, Tidus made his way out the door and back into his car.

* * *

When he pulled up by the overhang roof at the Tower the heads-up display read ten minutes after six. His phone had been buzzing in his pockets for the past ten minutes. It seemed like Yuna had expected him to be punctual to the second.

And he would have been if streets weren't so clogged with rush hour traffic.

He threw his keys at the oncoming valet and left his door open. He reached into his pocket while keeping his torrid pace and pulled out his phone. There were six messages, all of which read along the lines of "where are you?" and "hurry up", and a missed call to boot.

To Tidus's own surprise, he felt somewhat panicky. From the amount of attempts to communicate from Yuna he was sure she would be furious by now. Entering the lobby through the ever-so-slow revolving door, Tidus paid no attention to the awe-inspiring interior décor that screamed upper-class luxury, especially with the golden tint that seemed to be coming from everywhere.

He looked around, trying to see over the heads of the people bustling around by bouncing up and down on his toes and looking somewhat silly.

"You are late."

Tidus turned around at the sound of Yuna's cold voice behind him. Her eyes were practically throwing daggers at his direction.

"I didn't even think you were coming, you could have at least responded to my invitation."

He blinked a couple of times before looking down at the phone in his hand reflexively. It was true he didn't respond, and he cursed himself for neglecting to do something so obvious. But judging from the way Yuna's jaw clenched, arms crossed, and cheeks puffed, it wasn't a giant leap to guess something else much more significant was infuriating her at the moment.

Well, significant to her at least.

Deciding being defensive about how being a rather measly ten minutes late while driving through rush hour traffic wasn't that big of deal, Tidus instead wisely chose to diffuse his date with a quick apology and a compliment.

"Sorry, it won't happen again. Your hair looks amazing though."

He kept his voice so unfazed and calm that it even surprised himself. Maybe it was because Yuna's reaction to his tardiness was so out of the blue it didn't even register yet, though her hair really did look amazing. It was straightened with just a tiny inward curl at the ends and swooped back behind an ear on one side of her face while covering the other side like a thin veil. All in all not a single stand looked out of place. The style framed her heart shaped visage perfectly, giving up vibes of sultriness and sophistication at the same time.

Noticeably caught off guard, Yuna blurted out a quick "thank you". The puffiness in her cheeks subsided – it might have even been replaced with what looked to be a hint of blushing.

After a brief moment to regain her composure and likely realization that her initial anger was somewhat misdirected, Yuna motioned for Tidus to follow her. She nimbly cut through the gathering evening crowd in the lobby to arrive at the base of a pair of grandiose darkened oak stair cases that encircled a life sized statue of Yu Yevon, the founder and first mayor of Zanarkand.

After Tidus managed to catch up her they went up the stairs, turned at the top and stopped at a set of double doors made out of the same darkened oak at the stair case. With a swipe of a key card that Yuna took out from inside her shirt the locks on the doors clicked open and the two continued down the hallway and came to the door that lead into her suite situated in the north eastern corner of the building.

"Something came up last minute," Yuna stated while swiping her card key through the slot on the lock, "I was hoping to bring you down to the club early so you can meet Rikku."

The lock on the door released.

"Just wait in the living room while I get ready. I don't want a word about how messy the room is."

Tidus smirked as she turned away. Whenever girls tell him their places are messy, they were almost always referring to something along the lines of a couch cushion out of place, a stray mug not put away, or a single dish sitting in the sink waiting to be cleaned. But as he stepped inside he realized what Yuna said wasn't an exaggeration at all. There were papers and books scattered about almost everywhere – the couch, the kitchen table, the granite countertop, and the TV stand. There was even a stack of hardcover text books lying on the middle of the floor.

He actually had to catch himself before he commented on the condition of the suite.

"There should be an open chair by the kitchen table. You can go sit on that, I won't be too long." Yuna absented mindedly pointed out on her way to the bedroom on the other end of the living room opposite the kitchen and doorway.

Tidus did as he was told but his nosiness got the best of him when he saw some of the pieces of paper lying around on the kitchen table. They were spread across the entire surface save for a patch where he assumed Yuna ate her dinner. Grabbing some of the pages and reading them more closely, he could see that they were all research papers on stuff that went way over his head. The titles he glanced read "Molecular Assembly of Cell Membrane Proton Pumps" and "On Synthetic Nitrogenous Bases". The corners of all the pages had been torn, as if detached from a staple, and the material on those pages had lines upon lines of technical jargon highlighted, underlined, and crossed out.

"Hey Yuna?" Tidus decided to satiate his newest curiosity about this enigmatic brunette, "what did you say you were studying at the University again?" He yelled.

From behind the closed door of her bedroom Yuna shouted back, "I didn't."

Then with a tiny grunt and a fumbling noise she opened the door and walked out of her room, hands placed on her hips.

"Why are you digging through my stuff?" she asked accusingly.

"What else was I supposed to do, twiddle my thumbs?" Tidus fired back with a hint of impatience. He had almost forgotten about how closely she guards her personal matters.

Yuna furrowed her brow for a second before visibly giving in somewhat.

"Look, I'm sorry," she started, "I'm just not really used to talking to people about my personal life. It's one of the reasons I have trouble making friends."

She paused, then sighed. "But it's what friends do, right? Share bits of their personal life with each other?"

Tidus certainly thought that was a strange question to ask, but nonetheless he gave a slight nod of confirmation and encouragement. He sensed this may be the breakthrough he had been looking for.

"Well, those are my molecular biology material." She explained, "My anatomy texts are over here," Yuna lightly kicked at the stack of books on the floor, "and I have a bunch of books on diseases and general pathology on the shelf by my bed."

"Those sound like medical stuff…aren't you a little young to be a doctor?"

The question brought about a brief moment of hesitation, but Yuna gave in. "I'm not a doctor, I'm technically a resident – which I'm also a little young to be. Very young in fact…" She trailed off after the last word and took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't normally like to talk about it because most people my age haven't even gotten into med school yet. All of the people I used to work with are at least ten years older, and most of them put me on a pedestal for being a 'medical prodigy'. The rest of them hate my guts because of the same thing."

That last part came out with a hint of bitterness, Tidus thought.

"But you said you were going to the University. I don't know much about becoming a doctor, but I'm pretty sure being a resident means you are not going to school anymore."

"I still go to the school…kind of." Yuna uneasily squeezed out, "Look, I'm going to be late. If you promise not to treat me like some sort of wonder genius and not tell anyone I will fill you in on the way to the club."

He eagerly agreed, anxious to find out more. In less than three seconds the two of them were out the door and in the hallway practically racing down to the lobby again.

"So?" He struggled to ask in between the heavy breathing and fact paces, "you were going to tell me more?"

Without turning her head to face him Yuna offered a terse explanation. "My residency finished before I came to Zanarkand. Now I just have to apply for certification."

"But you haven't" Tidus sensed more to the story.

"No, not really." Yuna solemnly replied.

"So you are going to remain a resident forever?"

Down the flight of stairs they go. Yuna took this as an opportunity to escape the question and dashed ahead, forcing Tidus to file in behind her to avoid the oncoming traffic of people walking upstairs. At the bottom she didn't bother waiting, instead she took a hard turn and dodged and weaved her way to the night club.

To her visible dismay, Tidus caught up to her just as she reached the employees' entrance.

"Okay, I won't ask why you never applied for certification." He hastily proclaimed before she could brush him off to the side. "I just want to see you after work and…you know…talk."

Nothing but silence.

Tidus was honestly afraid that she would turn him down. He had thought she would probably dismiss tonight as a failed experiment and never revisit it again. After all, he did show up late just to pester her and poke at what was likely a soft spot. It would be okay, he tried to convince himself, and there are plenty of other girls out there who were just as hot as Yuna.

Then again, when was the last time he asked a girl to stay just to "talk"?

Yuna didn't exactly break the silence, but she did look into him with a pair of mismatched searching eyes. She was looking for something, he was sure of it. Sincerity, perhaps?

"I'm serious, Yuna" He said with a hardened and confident tone, trying his best to convince her.

"Then let me try something" she answered, "Please, don't take it the wrong way…"

Suddenly she stepped in to close the distance between their bodies. She raised her arms and wrapped them behind his neck to pull him in. This was the last thing he had expected from her. The moment their lips met he closed his eyes and gave in to her. He felt her lips' gentle movements and responded to each with his own, and with each round the machinations became more and more fervent. Things were getting very heated, very fast. Soon he became all too aware of the fact her torso was tightly pressing into his. Her fingers worked their way through his blonde hairs, tugging and pulling while her palm pressed the back of his skull further and further in towards the kiss. Involuntarily, his hands began to roam the small of her back, stroking her skin slowly through the fabric of the tank top she was wearing. He even dared to sneak half a hand underneath the article of clothing and drag the tips of his fingers across the bare skin. It was simply electrifying.

When it was all over, when Yuna pulled away with one last, delicious smacking sound as their lips parted, Tidus was left wondering what had just happened. The warmth of her bosom pushing against his chest faded away too as her gentle hands guided his away from the crumpled hems of her top.

He wanted more.

One look in her eyes told him she did too. She wanted a lot more. Biting down on her lip hard she calmed her heaving chest and quietly stood in place. "Don't take it the wrong way" she had said, but Tidus wasn't sure he knew what that meant. Was there a wrong way to take what just happened?

Come to think of it, was there a right way?

He elected to say nothing and let her speak before saying something that would ruin whatever they just had.

"I need to go, the manager is not going to like the fact I was so late." Yuna stated, miraculously gaining her composure back.

Tidus made no attempt to stop her and simply watched as Yuna unlocked the employee entrance and disappeared behind the door. He had never had a girl kissed him like that in his entire life. It was so intense that it left him dumbfounded – he must have looked really dumb too, just standing there and staring at a locked door.

She tasted so damn sweet and intoxicating that he had lost all sense of time. Before he knew it he was sitting at the back of the gentlemen's club breathing in cigar fumes and standing out like a sore thumb among the array of tailored suits, crocodile leather shoes, and aged whiskey old enough to be legal. But to the hell with all that. The moment Yuna came on stage she was the only person he focused on.

He wasn't the only one though. Many of the patrons snapped their heads at attention, their mouths practically watering at the backless night gown she had put on.

There was light tap on his shoulder. He felt it, but his eyes told him to ignore every other sense and just focus on the beautiful young woman holding the microphone.

The tap became a firm shake, which finally drew him away from Yuna. Turning his head towards the source of the annoyance he was met by a pair of bubbly green eyes.

That, a mop of blonde hair barely kept in place, and a young adolescent face that couldn't have been older than some of the whiskey she held on a tray.

"You must be Tidus," she said cheerily, her eyes told him that she knew full well why it took such effort to divert his attention. "I'm Rikku, Yuna's friend. She might have mentioned me to you. She asked me to keep you company since you obviously don't belong with this crowd." She motioned towards the floor space in front of them to prove her point.

Tidus nodded slightly, he was having trouble hearing the words coming out of this Rikku girl's mouth.

It must have shown too. The young woman simply let out a frustrated sigh and told him to meet her at the bar when she's done serving the first round of drinks.

* * *

The cabaret show continued for the next hour, during which Yuna was occasionally stepped down from the stage to wander among the captivated audience. Her voice was like a siren's call – melodic and soothing, but Tidus was sure the enchantment she held over the spectators was in large part due to the form fitting fabric she had on.

Every once in a while during her expedition away from the microphone stand she would make eye contact with someone sitting at the nearest table. She would tease him just a little by brushing her finger tips from shoulder to shoulder, entwining both her and the lucky audience member with the cord of her microphone.

The she would gracefully lift the cord above her head and undo the weave in one swift motion, all the while not missing a single beat in her singing.

"Hey lover boy," Rikku whispered into Tidus's ear, "don't let your jaw crash through the floor or we are gonna make you pay for the repairs."

He gave her an annoyed look in response. The blonde waitress was a bit of a smartass and his infatuation with her gorgeous looking friend was too much of an opportunity for her to pass up. "Aren't you supposed to be nice so the customers give you tips?" Tidus countered.

Reaching into her apron Rikku pulled out one handful of coins and small bills after another, putting each down onto the bar with some considerable force to make her point.

"I get tipped plenty, thank you very much." She pouted defiantly, "and you better be generous with your tips too, mister blitz star. That's right, I know who you are, and if you are stingy with your cash I'm gonna tell Yunie what a jerk you are. Now what will it be? Scotch or whiskey?"

"What…but I didn't…" Tidus was flabbergasted. His newly self-appointed bartender wasn't giving him a choice, he realized. "Give me a glass of your cheapest whiskey." He grunted out indignantly while putting down ten gils, fully aware that he wasn't going to see a cent of the change he was owed.

Beaming with might and pride, Rikku put down a fresh glass and poured the brown liquid onto two pieces of ice with one hand and pocketing the money with the other. "Why thank you, kind sir" she expressed her faked gratitude with some flare, "you know you aren't half bad, though what she sees in you I still don't understand."

"Come again?"

"Every night she performs it's guaranteed that one of these drunken idiots will try to ask her out. I even see engagement rings pop out here and there." Rikku stated nonchalantly, "Every time Yunie would turn them down without a second thought. She's been here for six months and I've never seen her show any kind of affection to any man."

He nodded and took a sip of the fiery liquid sitting in his glass. Secretly he was beaming on the inside, there was no way the kiss he shared with Yuna was anything but affection – that was as affectionate as affection gets in fact. Recalling back to their conversation in his car just two days ago, finding the concept of her asking to just be friends back then and practically pouring sexual energy into his mouth just now a bit hypocritical.

Of course he had no complaints. His ego was actually bloating to size of the hotel at this point, armed with the new information that Yuna had chosen him among the abundance of men ogling over her day in and day out in Zanarkand to be so intimate with.

"Don't get so excited, I know that look."

He snapped out of his self-obsession to blink confusedly at the young woman standing on the other side of the bar, busily rinsing. "What look?" he asked all innocent-like.

Rolling her eyes at young blitz star, Rikku shut the tap and dried her hands on her apron. "Look, don't think you are some big shot with that handsome face and a professional athlete's salary. There are plenty of people sitting in this room that could OWN your blitz team, and that is not an exaggeration."

Tidus turned around to survey the room and he felt the rug underneath him being pulled away when he realized there was some truth to what Rikku was saying.

"So you're saying," He muttered, "I don't have a shot with Yuna?"

"No, what I am saying is that what you use to get into other girls' pants won't work with Yunie."

It wasn't like Tidus flaunted his good looks, wealth, and athleticism everywhere like his brother, but he had to admit to himself that he had used some of the tactics Rikku hinted at to pick up girls every once in a while.

The songs stopped right then and the dimmed lights brightened again. Yuna was on the stage, finishing off her performance with a courtesy bow and exiting through a door on the left. The audience filed out of the room, most of them clearly drunk and all of them were loudly voicing out their infatuation with the beautiful woman that just left the stage.

Tidus made a move to get up and leave too, but Rikku stopped him with a firm grip on his wrist.

"Just wait, Yuna usually takes her time to change out of her night gown to avoid her rabid new fans." She ordered him with a slight grin, "I'm closing up when I finish cleaning up but that should give you two half an hour."

He nodded in acknowledgement, sitting back down on the bar stool and watched eagerly for any sign of the songstress as the stragglers stumbled their way out of the hotel's grand entrance or back to their rooms.

The teenage bartender was stepped out from behind the bar, towel and garbage bag in hand. Clearly she didn't enjoy this part of her work, evident by the look of disgust on her face. With a gloved hand she picked away the garbage on and around the closest table before wiping it down with the towel.

"You are welcome to order drinks, just be sure you tip more than last time." She called out to him as she moved on further away.

He merely waved her off, the bad taste of the whiskey in the glass he had ordered earlier still hanging around his taste buds. Turning his back on the blonde he focused his eyes on the shelf of liquor on display behind the bar. When the lights were dimmed he had no idea which brands the bottles were labelled with, but with the lights are back on, he silently patted himself on the back for ordering the cheapest one after all. He may have thought leaving ten gil on the table was a good enough tip for the little brat of a bartender, now he's a little embarrassed knowing he had tipped so little.

There was a tap on his shoulder, which he dismissed as Rikku being a pest trying to milk his wallet for more tips. "Go away Rikku, I don't want more drinks" he grunted with a light fling of his arm to make his lack of consumer interest clear.

The hand that caught his forearm, however, wasn't gloved.

"You almost hit me across the face." Yuna teased mildly with a warm smile, "just for that I should make you buy me a drink or two."

Tidus turned in surprise, almost falling off his perch on the stool. The beginnings of an apology ended with an emphatic groan as he struggled to regain his balance. His antics drew some light laughter from the two girls present with him in the club. He laughed nervously too, having lost a large chunk of his pride.

He saw that Yuna was back in the clothes she wore before she disappeared behind the locked door. Most of the makeup she put on to make herself stand out in the bright lights of the stage were also wiped off, but she still looked downright breathtaking nonetheless. There was also the scent of the perfume she must have put on – light and tropical smelling, probably just like the rain forests of Besaid, he thought.

When she had heard her friend mention the idea of making the young blitzer buying drinks, Rikku must have bolted right back to her spot, because the moment Tidus took his eyes off Yuna she was standing right there. She also had in her hand a menu of the club's premium cocktail mixes, mockingly presenting it to her newest returning customer, making sure to open up the menu to the most expensive page beforehand.

His night wasn't finished yet…


End file.
